Copper(II) and oxovanadium(IV) ions resemble one another magnetically in having one unpaired electron in their complexes irrespective of their geometrical structures and bond types involved. Copper(II) complexes with antiferromagnetic exchange are well known. On the contrary, antiferromagnetic exchange in oxovanadium(IV) complexes is rather new and not well established. Very few oxovanadium(IV) complexes have been reported to have this anomalous magnetic property. In the investigation of the magnetic properties of oxovanadium(IV) complexes, we have successfully prepared two series of new oxovanadium(IV) complexes with N-salicylideneamino acids.

In many series of compounds, intensity of biological activity and chemical reactivity are proportional. Generally whenever a alkyl group replaces a reactive hydrogen atom, as would be the case for an N-substituted hydroxylamine as compared to hydroxylamine, the over-all biological activity of the resulting compound is lower than that of its nonalkylated analogue. Since toxicity and physiological activity are not proportional, this comparison can only suggest possible types of derivatives to prepare and test.

Organolitnium compounds have been employed in synthetic worK for many years. However only during the last decade has much progress been made in establishing the mechanistic pathways for the reactions of these compounds.